This exchange took place on my Facebook page, on 1-17-20, and then on a second thread on 19-20 January. Words of Nathan Burns will be in blue. ***** How did you vote in 2016 and whaddya think about this year? I voted for Hillary in 2016, not because I supported all of her ideas, but because I thought she was better in the areas of environmental protection and economic justice, which are being currently prioritized by Pope Francis. I don’t... Read more
Protestants have frequently been observed to argue that we Catholics are being “morbid” and have misplaced priorities, by concentrating far too much on Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross for us (and along with that, meditating on crucifixes that depict it), since He is long since resurrected, glorified, and ascended to heaven. Why, then, is this passage in the Bible?: Revelation 5:6 (RSV) And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders, I saw a Lamb... Read more
My friend Tony Gerring offered an excellent guest post on my blog, entitled, Raising of Tabitha: Proof of Purgatory. This was a follow-up discussion of that article on my Facebook page. Words of Scott Fleischman will be in blue. ***** Fascinating! The key point for me is that Tabitha died after Jesus’ resurrection (which opened the gates of heaven). Other instances of Jesus’ raising people from the dead (Lazarus, Jairus’ daughter) don’t carry the same weight because it can be argued they went... Read more
I received a letter of critique regarding my book, Proving The Catholic Faith Is Biblical. My reply follows. ***** He makes a sincere mistake on page 111. . . . He mentions about Dives not wanting his brothers to come to the same place he’s in so as not to be damned as he is (the parable about the rich man and Lazarus). He’s unfortunately made the same mistake I made for 26 years as well as Fr. Bill Casey, FM, and ironically, Saint Alphonsus... Read more
Dr. Mark Miravalle holds the St. John Paul II Chair of Mariology at Franciscan University of Steubenville, and is Professor of Mariology at Ave Maria University. He is the President of Vox Populi Mariae Mediatrici, which seeks the solemn papal definition (at the highest dogmatic level) of the Spiritual Maternity of the the Blessed Virgin Mary, as Co-Redemptrix, Mediatrix of All Graces, and Advocate for the People of God. I’m honored and delighted to host this recent paper of Dr. Miravalle on my blog. I have greatly appreciated and... Read more
This is the sad age we live in, folks, where a major Catholic publisher (indeed, the primary one for Pope Benedict’s books, before and after becoming a pope), expressly ignores his stated wishes for one of their books in which he wrote part of the text. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s personal secretary Archbishop Georg Gänswein, stated today: I can confirm that this morning I acted on instructions from the emeritus pope and I asked Cardinal Robert Sarah to contact... Read more
Christopher Altieri wrote in Catholic Herald (1-13-20): There is not now, nor has there ever been, a proposal “to end priestly celibacy” in the Church. There is a proposal from the [Amazon] synod fathers, now before the Holy Father, asking him to consider relaxing the very long-standing discipline currently in force for secular (roughly “diocesan”) priests in the Latin Church, which impedes married men from receiving ordination to the priesthood. . . . Pope Francis has taken a strong position... Read more
“Past Events Become Present Today”/ Survey of “Remember” in Scripture I have heard that Jews celebrating Passover believe that the past becomes present. As such, the Catholic sees a similarity to our notion of the Sacrifice of the Mass, and Jesus’ death on the cross becoming present, and in a very real sense, transcending time altogether. We also believe that the Last Supper, where the Holy Eucharist was initiated, was a Passover meal. Many common notions could be explored with... Read more
Atheist and anti-theist Bob Seidensticker, who was “raised Presbyterian”, runs the influential Cross Examined blog. He asked me there, on 8-11-18: “I’ve got 1000+ posts here attacking your worldview. You just going to let that stand? Or could you present a helpful new perspective that I’ve ignored on one or two of those posts?” He also made a general statement on 6-22-17: “Christians’ arguments are easy to refute . . . I’ve heard the good stuff, and it’s not very good.” He added in the combox: “If I’ve misunderstood the Christian position or Christian... Read more
St. Ignatius of Antioch (d. c. 107-110) used the term “catholic” (Gk. “katholikos”) in chapter 8 of his letter to the Christians of Smyrna in about 107 A. D.: Wherever the bishop shall appear, there let the multitude [of the people] also be; even as, wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church. I found a very helpful treatment of this topic in The Catholic Encyclopedia (c. 1910): available online (article, “Catholic”). It points out, however, that St. Ignatius’ use is not the technical meaning... Read more
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